Piled to High
by where the wind blows
Summary: Somtimes being ageless is a luxury, somtimes it isnt, and somtimes it is just sitting there in the backseating waiting for you to come to your sences and accept... And interesitng moment in the life of Simon Brennan


**Disclaimer: Sorry **

**Summery: Somtimes being ageless is a luxury, somtimes it isnt, and somtimes it is just sitting there in the backseating waiting for you to come to your sences and accept... **

**Piled To High **

Some people think that being ageless is a luxury. After all you never have to worry about getting wrinkles or any other unsightly signs of aging.

You also get to have all the ability of a young body with all the knowledge of someone twice that age.

It has advantages: you can ace every test you are ever handed, you can tell the most amazing stories, and you have all the time in the world to do whatever you want.

However while you are able to do these things there is a price. Acing every test will get you accused of cheating, no one will believe any of your stories, and once you finish what you where planning what do you do?

***WHERE***THE***WIND***BLOWS***

1964 Vermont

"_Can't get no satisfaction  
I can't get no satisfaction  
'Cause I try and I try and I try and I try  
I can't get no, I can't get no__!"_

Seventeen year old Simon Brennan screamed the last note of his favorite song so loud that it made his throat hurt.

The last notes of the song came to a close as the pitter-patter of the rain steadied changing into soft plops.

Simon opened his eyes again and focused them on the winding road. It was always good to watch the road when you were driving.

The road wove around the green hills like a snake in the grass. Simon loved it out here with the clear air and the mountains, he loved the way there were no bustling cities and angry persons shouting at you, in short Simon loved Vermont.

'Not that I can stay here,' Simon thought, he took a sharp curve in the road making the tires of the old ford protesting viciously 'Derek will want the car back soon.'

Simon did not live in Vermont; he was only taking a short vacation from the bustle of Massachusetts suburban sprawl. His parents had just suddenly gotten divorced, his mom moving out to Ohio with his three year old sister Chloe. His Dad stayed with Simon and his older brother Derek in the two story grey house.

Simon pumped up the radio as these thoughts swirled through his head. After his Mom had left he had needed to clear his head, so he had taken his brother car, the money he had earned from mowing lawns and taken to the road. He had told his Dad he needed a break, the reply had been incoherent and sad as his father looked over the official papers.

Only his Derek really noticed that Simon was taking off. He had not tried to stop him only he said he wanted the car back so he could escape after.

It had taken Simon five hours to get to the motel in the small Vermont town and once there he had gone hiking, swimming, fishing, and everything else he could possibly think of to get his mind from breaking apart; he had even had a Vermont girlfriend for seven hours. Now he was heading home, he was tired sad 'Will this feeling ever go away?'

Turing the wheel around another vicious bend he saw a small figure walking along the side of the road. Coming closer Simon noticed it was a boy, dressed in a huge grey sweatshirt, baggy jeans, and very worn down sneakers. The boy had not rain jacket and was soaked through, the rain did not pity the boy for it had started up again beating down on the hood covering the boys face.

'He can't be any older than thirteen.' Simon was still behind the boy as he felt his heart catch, his thirteen year old cousin had been very sick as of late and the doctors where not sure if she was going to pull through; just another wonderful thing about young Simon's life.

As he watched the boy a dog came bounding out the woods. As black as coal the dog hurried to the boy's side a large doggie grin on the creatures face.

The boy reached out the scratch the dog behind the ears. The dog complied before looking up at the approaching car and giving a bark.

It was only then that Simon noticed he had slowed the car almost to a stop next to the boy and his dog.

The boy looked up at Simon and as their eyes connected Simon almost reeled back at the startling blue that shown from their depths. The boy gave Simon a smile and a nod waiting for him to drive off.

It took a moment for Simon to decide what to do. His entire life his mother had told him about no good hitchhikers wanting rides and how he was never to pick one up. But then again his mother had also said she would never leave him…

Slamming on the breaks Simon looked at the boy and the black dog standing next to him. There was enough room in the backseat for the two of them.

Clearing his throat Simon said "Need a lift? It's a bit wet at the moment."

The boy laughed, the noise clearly making its way through the rain "Really? I hadn't noticed" As he spoke he shook his head and droplets of rain water feel from his blonde hair.

Simon smiled; he could tell from the boy's eyes that he was a good kid. How he knew he could not explain. "Go on, get in the car, and bring that dog of yours."

The boy looked doubtfully at Simon eyeing the vehicle. "We will get your car all wet." He said as his dog tired to shake himself dry.

"'tis alright, its not my car anyway, took if from my brother for the week, what he don't know won't hurt him."

The boy again looked at Simon eyeing him and the car when the dog gave him a sharp prod in the back of the knees.

"Alright, alright." The boys said stepping to the car and opening the door. Simon smiled as the boy slid himself onto the seat and his wet dog jumped up beside him.

Once the door was securely shut Simon hit the gas, turning down the radio he asked the boy where he wanted to go.

"Oh anywhere is fine really." The boy said indifferently as though it didn't matter where he ended up.

Simon frowned at the boy in the backseat, the startling blue eyes where looking out the window lost in thought. "You sure?" He felt he should ask the boy if he had a family or relatives nearby. But he hardly knew the boy and he didn't want to push him into things that where none of his business anyway.

"Yeah the nearest town will do."

Frowning Simon turned his full attention back to the road. There was a long silence, the boy in the backseat said nothing and the dog at his side lay still his head on his paws. Finally Simon could no longer take it and said "You have a name?"

"Most of us do, do you?"

Simon raised his eyebrows slightly "Simon." He said not including his last name, some if his mother's words still hid in the shadows of his mind.

"Ben." The boy said with a smile "And this is my dog Ned."

"Well Ben how did you end up so far into the woods without a car?" Simon asked genuinely curious, the boy had been at least ten miles from any town.

"Oh you know, wondering, trying to keep my head clear of all the thoughts racked up in there." Ben said with a smile.

Simon knew this was his way of avoiding the question but decides to ignore it. He was just giving the boy a lift after all. However he had perched up at the mention for clearing heads "Does it work? Walking in the woods I mean, does it clear your head?" Any idea to get his own head clear was very welcome.

Looking his rear mirror he saw Ben watching him carefully as though calculating. "Depends on what the situation is."

Simon sighed; it was not the answer he wanted. However the boy was continuing "A clear mind is hard to come by I know I have been looking for it."

"Have you?" Simon asked curious now. "Well you're not the only one."

In the back seat the boy was looking at his dog rolling his eyes. Simon wondered if he had said something to warrant and eye roll, he decided not to comment.

"You know," Ben said looking out the window again "getting a clear mind is a lot easier than one would think."

Simon shot him a look in the mirror. "I would love to hear how to achieve it."

"Acceptance."

"Excuses me?" Simon again looked back at the boy; he was still gazing out the window.

"It's true; whatever it is that is clouding your mind you just accept it. It will still be there as something that is understood and maybe even hard to face, however because you accepted it there is not more of the blocked feeling as when you tried to push it away."

Simon, to be honest did not completely understand, however he got what the boy was saying, he had to accept the past. "You sound like you have had experience in this area."

The boy let out a soft chuckle, "A few times I have had to accept some pretty hard things. But once you do you find that it is easier to move on."

Simon could have sworn Ned had coughed when his owner had said 'a few times'

Simon looked back at the boy, Ben was still looking at the window shadows flickering across his face, it had stopped raining.

The rest of the ride was in silence. Simon contemplating the boy's words and Ben staring out the window. The dog had his eyes closed and appeared to be asleep.

The first town they reached consisted of a small motel, a gas station, and a small food mart. It was one of the typical places campers went if they needed something.

Simon looked back at Ben as they reached the town. "You want to go here?"

"Yeah," Bed said sitting up as the car rolled to a stop "this is great, thank you."

The boy and dog jumped out of the car. Out the window Simon called "You need anything? I mean…" he felt bad just dropping a boy off on the curve.

Ben turned and looked him in the eyes. To his left the dog wagged his tail "We will be fine Simon, thank you very much for the ride." And with that the boy and dog turned walking towards the motel.

Simon sat in the car for a moment not moving thinking over the boy's words. 'Accept? Could he possibly accept what had happened to his loving family?' but he decided to try.

With a deep breath Simon closed his eyes; he let everything that was going wrong in his life flow through him, a knot deep in his very heart.

'Accept…'

Simon let his breath out, and with it he brought up all the feelings, the pain, the desires, the sadness, the hurt, the rejection, the guilt, everything he brought out.

And he felt better accepting that he couldn't banish the pain away, he felt freer. There was still a ways to go, but he could make it.

When Simon reached home the next day, Derek was depressed, after spending a week home alone with his Dads pain Derek wanted out. Grabbing the keys from his brother Derek turned "What should I do?" He asked looking at Simons face.

Simon laughed and said "Just take a long drive through the rain and maybe pick up a hitchhiker or two."

***WHERE***THE***WIND***BLOWS***

So yeah being ageless has its ups and downs, its ditches and hills. But being ageless also means that you know, and you understand. As Ben walked away from Simon's beat up old car his dog projecting thoughts into his mind, he smiled hoping he had just done something right for another lonely soul.

"A Clear mind is like the full moon in the sky. Sometimes clouds come and cover it, but the moon is always behind them. Clouds go away, then the moon shines brightly. So don't worry about clear mind: it is always there. When thinking comes, behind it is clear mind. When thinking goes, there is only clear mind. Thinking comes and goes, comes and goes, You must not be attached to the coming or the going."_—Zen Master Seung Sahn_

**Not really an interesting story, just something I thought I would whip up. Hope you liked it! **

**PLEASE REVIEW! **


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